His Excellency Bockarie Kortu Stevens, Sierra Leone’s ambassador to the United States and Canada has, in an exclusive interview with PV editor Gibril Koroma today revealed that he will soon be in Canada to present his letters of credence to the Canadian government and will use the opportunity to meet with Sierra Leoneans in the country.
Stevens, popularly known as "Sir Bockay" said he and his staff are aware that there are a considerable number of Sierra Leoneans in Canada and will do everything possible to maintain contact with them and expose Sierra Leone’s potentials to Canadian investors.He also promised to look into the possibilty of having consuls to serve Sierra Leone’s interests in major Canadian cities.
Stevens, who read History and Politics at Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone, between 1972 and 1975 said Sierra Leoneans in North America should consider themselves part of the big Sierra Leone family.
"Even though I was appointed by an APC government, I consider myself ambassador for all Sierra Leoneans, no matter the political party they support," he emphasized on the telephone from his office in Washington.
The new Sierra Leonean envoy observed that North America has the largest number of wealthy and influential Sierra Leoneans abroad, a fact that is not lost on the authorities in Freetown.
He said such of a pool of talents and human resources therefore need to be moblised to effect meaningful change at home emphasising that the war is over in Sierra Leone and the task now is to push for economic development in the country with the help of Sierra Leoneans abroad and the international community.
Ambassador Stevens, who also holds a Masters degree in Refugee Studies and a diploma in Industrial Relations from the University of East London in the United Kingdom said he has been impressed by the dynamism and patriotism of the Sierra Leoneans he has already met in the United States.He said he has met about 60 heads of Sierra Leonean organizations in the United States and they have all come up with amazing suggestions and projects on how to move Sierra Leone forward.
"I am quite astounded by their goodwill, patriotism,friendliness and dynamism," he said.
Bockarie Stevens, who is married with four children, stressed that Sierra Leone is in urgent need of help from all Sierra Leoneans and the international community and disclosed that president Koroma has promised to turn the country round in 36 months.
"When the APC came to power we only had 5 megawatts of electricity, we will soon have 90 megawatts. Road construction and rehabilitation are going on all over the country" he said.
The envoy, who was once Sierra Leone’s ambassador to Guinea-Conakry, Guinea Bissau and Cape Verde was asked by PV to comment on the Yenga issue.
He said Yenga, which is now occupied by Guinean troops, had always been an issue between Sierra Leone and Guinea even as far back as the 60s.
"It’s a colonial issue involving boundary demarcations between the French and British colonial powers. It has always been there and I have seen documents concerning this issue when I was ambassador in Guinea between 1988 and and 1992," he said.
He said Yenga is not the only problem and that the boundaries between Sierra Leone and Guinea have always been fragile because the two countries share many things in common.
In some areas the boundary is just a cotton tree or a river, he noted, suggesting that diplomacy and quiet negotiations are the way to go to resolve the Yenga issue. He hoped the matter is taken off the media and quietly resolved through negotiations first between the two countries and if necessary involving a third party.
He concluded by calling on all Sierra Leoneans to come together for the development of the country and to end its current status as the poorest country in the world according to a UN survey. He promised that the Sierra Leone embassy in Washington, which symbolises the country and is the first point of contact, will soon receive a radical face-lift with extensive renovations.
Ambassador Stevens had his secondary education at the Albert Academy in Freetown and has close family links in the north,south and east of Sierra Leone.
Photo: Ambassador Bockarie Stevens with US president George Bush.
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